November 3, 2024

What are the Saddest Words in the Bible and Seven Encouraging Ways for Overcoming Them?

It’s almost Election Day 2024, the most important Election Day in my lifetime. As I consider how divided our country seems to be, I am reminded of some of the saddest words in the Bible. Let’s talk about them, and I will prayerfully offer some encouragement to overcome those words.

The Jesus’ powerful Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is one of my favorite passages in Scripture and definitely an excellent moral compass for us. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, Jesus gives several profound messages, from “asking and it will be given to you” in Matthew 7:7,  The Golden Rule in Matthew 7:12, and the  Gate is narrow and the way hard that leads to life (heaven) in Matthew 7:13.

Then Jesus begins to talk  even tougher. He warns us of false prophets in Matthew 7:15-16, 19- 20

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits….Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” 

And then the Lord does a “mic drop” with this harsh Truth in Matthew 7:21-22  ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

And here it comes… the saddest words from Jesus from Matthew 7:23…. “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”  

Holy Moly! I don’t know about you, but my heart falls each time I read this.  Truly the saddest words from Jesus, I believe, in the Bible. So what can we do to bear fruit and not to hear those words that He never knew you or me and to depart from Him?

As we approach Election Day and the world seems to become darker and less Godly, we are living out these words daily. So how can we stay strong in our faith and deepen our relationship with Jesus, so He knows us well and we draw near to Him?

  1. Pray daily. Thank the Lord as you wake up, pray Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (ACTS). Pray on your knees and even face down as we bow low with humility. “As we decrease, He increases.” –John 3:30
  2. Read daily in God’s Word. The Bible is my most prized possession. Each of the 66 books written are God-ordained and serve as our moral compass, our encouragement, our Comfort through the Power of the Holy Spirit, our plumb line, our standard of excellence.
  3. Surround yourself with a handful of deep, Godly leader friends who encourage you and hold you accountable. Find a few true mentors/friends of faith who stretch and convict you. They are your mirrors. Iron sharpens iron.
  4. Join and become an active member of a Bible-based, Holy Spirit-filled, healthy church family. Sadly, the Church is where so many will be found as false prophets and where the Lord will say “depart from me, I never knew you.” Ensure your Church aligns with scripture. Ensure your pastor is humble and points all sermons to the authority of the Bible and scripture, not opinions from himself. Ensure the focus is on the Great Commission of making disciples and Acts 1:8 of Missions and outreach.
  5. Spend as much time as you can serving and volunteering for Kingdom-building efforts. We are only given 168 hours in a week. Evaluate how you are spending your time? Is it playing a ton of golf, tennis or pickle ball? Is it watching a ton of Netflix or Hallmark Christmas movies?  (ouch)  Let’s be encouraged to reevaluate how we are spending our time on more mission-focused, faith-based ministries that are leading people to a closer walk with Jesus.
  6. Shine your light for Jesus! Let your light shine. Tell others about the saving faith in Jesus Christ. Let’s not be silent on letting others hear our testimonies and how Jesus saved our lives and is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
  7. Vote in a way that most closely aligns with Biblical values.  I pray you voted early. If you are waiting for Election Day, please vote for the Lamb in the way that most closely aligns with Biblical values with Judeo-Christian focus, pro-life (Psalm 139), pro-Israel (Genesis 12:1-3, Psalm 122:6, Zechariah 12:9 , capitalist economy (Matthew 25:14-30), and secure borders (Numbers 32:17).

These seven ways are only a few of the many ways for us to deepen our relationship with the Lord.

I pray to instead hear those precious words from the Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:21)

I pray for revival in me, in each of us, and for our country and world, and for the Lord to know each of us deeply as His sons and daughters. Lord, thank you for blessing America. May America bless You, Lord.

October 29, 2024

Getting Back to Our Country’s Basics –Voting our Faith

As early voting is underway and Presidential Election Day 2024 approaches next week,  my heart is yearning for our country to get back to the basics and to unify. I pray for us to get back to our foundational basics of our deep-rooted Judeo-Christian values.

You may already know this, but I sure didn’t. Our first President George Washington had a deep faith. In fact, even after he was elected, his inauguration was bathed in prayer.

On April 6, 1789, following the ratification of the Constitution, George Washington was selected president; he accepted the position on April 14, 1789, and his inauguration was scheduled in New York City (the nation’s capitol) for April 30, 1789. A leading New York Daily newspaper reported on the planned inaugural:

On the morning of the day on which our illustrious President will be invested with his office, the bells will ring at nine o’clock, when the people may go up to the house of God and in a solemn manner commit the new government, with its important train of consequences, to the holy protection and blessing of the most high. An early hour is prudently fixed for this act of devotion and . . . is designed wholly for prayer. (New York Daily Advertiser, Thursday, April 23, 1789, p. 2)

Beautiful. Our country basically had a revival to prepare for our first President’s inauguration.

On April 27, three days before the inauguration, the Senate resolved:

…That after the oath shall have been administered to the President, he, attended by the Vice President and members of the Senate and House of Representatives, shall proceed to St. Paul’s Chapel, to hear divine service. (Annals of Congress, Vol 1, p. 25, April 27, 1789; available online at Library of Congress.)

Prayer was the first act of the joint Congress of the United States! What a blessing! How encouraging!

Do you know the chilling irony? St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City is the same church used for triage at Ground Zero on and after September 11, 2001!

Now is the time for us to get back to our Founding Fathers prayerful foundation. Please join me in praying for our beloved country, our leaders, our upcoming leaders. Your vote and prayers count.

This anointed prayer of George Washington appears on a plaque in St. Paul ’s chapel in New York City. Although it’s a little fancy to read, may our hearts echo this prayer for our wonderful country.

Almighty God,

We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy Holy protection; and Thou wilt incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field.

And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with… humility…and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reflect:

–How do you feel about our Founding Fathers faith?

–How will you respond?

Renew:

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.” –2 Chronicles 7:14

“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” –Isaiah 9:6

Resource:

Barton, David. Original Intent, p. 113. New York Advertiser.

Cahn, Jonathan. The Harbinger.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0209/st_pauls/online_extra.html

August 14, 2024

Loving Our Neighbors—Lessons Learned Through Bedbugs, Pawn Shops & Addiction, Part 1

Note from Danya: I wrote this series about my precious cousin back in 2019/2020. So many prayer requests shared with me are about loved ones battling addiction. I pray telling my family’s story will prayerfully break strongholds in your life and your loved ones’ lives.

It began in October 2019. Actually it began years before that, but I wasn’t made aware of how serious the problem was until that Autumn. It’s been too difficult, too sacred, too embarrassing to write about. Now is the time.

Sometimes the best commandments, guidelines and mantras are preached well and not necessarily lived well. One such Great Commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength AND to love our neighbors as ourselves. I have made mistakes and missteps I’ll admit to you and want to learn from and not repeat.

Who is our neighbor, we ask? It’s everyone. Everyone means from the neighbors across the street who we wave to and don’t know their name to the first cousin who we talk to on the phone but haven’t seen in years…until you receive a phone call that changes everything.

My Mom is one of eight children. We have big family reunions and many aunts, uncles and cousins to cherish and keep track of.  We had a family reunion in August 2019, and several cousins were unable to come. One of those cousins was Mark. He said on the phone he couldn’t make it and had broken his wrist. We made small talk. I told him it was great to catch up.

He lived in Charlotte, near me. His address for the family reunion invitation went to our aunt’s home, so I never thought to ask where he lived or even go see him. Talking on the phone was enough. I had heard he had not worked in years. His wife had passed away ten years earlier. They had no children together. His mom, my aunt Dolores, had passed away in 2017.

On October 11, 2019,  I received a phone call from our aunt that my 67-year-old cousin Mark had been admitted to a hospital near me. When I visited him I hardly recognized him. I’m embarrassed to admit it had been about 10 years since I had seen him. He had aged and his eyes were jaundiced. I leaned down and hugged him. I gently held his face in my hands and kissed him on the cheek.

He told me cirrhosis of the liver was his diagnosis, which his yellow eyes foreshadowed. When I asked him how much he drank, he said, “Only about 9-12 beers a day.” He didn’t think that was too much. He didn’t think he was an alcoholic.

I had heard he was an atheist, so I had strategically brought a “Jesus Calling” devotional for him. I inscribed it with his name and the October date. I asked If I could read some encouragement for him, and he said yes.  We talked about next steps, about me becoming his healthcare Power of Attorney, and I prayed over him. Tears were in his eyes.

I visited him each day until he was released. I found out he had been living in the attic of a rundown house with two roommates who smoked crack. He had no hot water to take showers. I found out through the hospital that Mark had come in with a live bedbug crawling on him and had been admitted to the hospital through DECON–Decontamination!

May this fact sit on you as it did me: my own family member was living in a crackhouse! It is, for lack of a better word, sobering. It is humbling, and I vowed to try to love him as Jesus would. 

As we worked on getting him into rehabilitation and finding housing, Mark later told me he had four items at the local pawn shop he wanted to get out. I had never been in a pawn shop and don’t plan to go back. We had to pay much more for the two guitars, Shop Vac and drills that they gave him initially. It’s an unwise way to get money fast.

One of my friends told me she wanted to put a tracker on my phone since I had been to pick items up from a crackhouse and pawn shop. These were places I didn’t know I’d find myself.

After his release from the hospital, Mark surpassed some huge life milestones:

  • On October 20, 2019, he attended his first church service in 40+ years.
  • On October 25, 2019,  he attended his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting;
  • On October 27, 2019, he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior;
  • On October 28, 2019, he walked into an inpatient alcohol rehabilitation program for the first time.
  • On December 11, 2019, he was released from alcohol rehab.

During his time in rehab, he had been back in the hospital twice to remove more fluid from his body due to cirrhosis complications.  His skin was jaundiced. His legs and feet were swollen due to edema from the cirrhosis. The doctor told Mark he needed to remain sober for at least six months before a liver transplant was possible.  Mark truly desired to stay sober.

In December 2019, he graduated from the rehabilitation program!  He came to live with me until I could get him into an Assisted Living Facility through Medicaid in January 2020. This was a photo with Mark, my Aunt Nancy, and precious Mom on Christmas Eve 2019. It was such a blessing to celebrate Christmas with him.

What lessons can we learn from Part 1 of this raw, tender family testimony?

  1. See your loved ones face-to-face and see where they live.
  2. Love unconditionally. Leave judgment up to the Lord.
  3. Encourage 12-step programs for you and your loved ones like Alcoholics Anonymous, Al Anon, CoDependents Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, etc.

Many more lessons were  revealed as we walked this journey.  More to come in Part 2.

Reflections:

 –“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” –1 Timothy 5:8

 –“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” –Colossians 3:13

–“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” –2 Corinthians 5:17

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